Salvation
by Kyree Winx
Summary: The Magical Universe is nothing like you remember... Eighteen years after Baltor took the universe by storm, what's left of the free people make up the Defiance, a network of rebels that was organized under the command of Sky and Bloom. Bloom's death some sixteen years earlier dashed the hopes of bringing Baltor down, and her son, Edan, is left to bear the guilt (and hope) himself.
1. Prologue

The Magical Universe is nothing like you remember…

My name is Edan. My life and purpose can be defined by exactly three moments in time. Three moments that would ultimately destroy the hope of the Magical Universe forever. The fact I was involved in each of these moments, directly or indirectly, has drawn quite a bit of disdain, disdain I have yet to disavow for myself. And so I bear the guilt…

The downfall of the Magical Universe began with a war. Two of the universe's greatest war realms, Eraklyon and Praelium, struggled to prove which of them was stronger than the other. No one is quite sure what the catalyst was that truly triggered the snap of tensions, but it is now known that the force behind it all was Baltor. At the time, the realms were all distracted, focused on the war that would force the realms to choose sides. Baltor used this distraction to bring all the greatest realms of that time to their knees. When the universe finally realized the true evil at work, it was practically too late. So all hope fell on a single fairy, who alone could defeat Baltor, as was her purpose…

Moment one… my conception. That fairy, Princess Bloom of Domino, bearer of the Dragon Fire, leader of the Winx Club, member of the Company of Light, and Baltor's bane, was my mother. Pregnant, scared, and alone… she abandoned the Magical Universe during the early stages of the universe's downfall to protect me. Once Baltor finally made his intentions known, every leader of a free realm was willing to look to her for answers, for hope… but she wasn't there. The universe, vulnerable without its champion, was ready for Baltor to take it.

Moment two… Baltor took it all. Using forces both mystical and vicious, forces like the Army of Decay, minions, and bile creatures, Baltor tore the free worlds asunder. Solaria, Tides, Lynphea, Magix, Isis, Eraklyon, Praelium… they all fell one by one. Billions and billions were slaughtered, incarcerated, tortured… the horrors Baltor inflicted on the universe still bring terror to people to this very day. By the time Bloom returned, only Domino stood, though it wouldn't stand long. The Falling is what we call it, the battle in which the elder members of the Company of Light faced Baltor to allow the survivors and the younger Company members to escape. My grandparents died in that final battle, and Domino was destroyed a second time. Hope's fate once again lay in the balance and on the shoulders of my mother as people looked to her for guidance in the dark times that ensued.

The war ended and Baltor claimed the universe as his. But the fight had only begun for the survivors. The Defiance was founded by my parents, King Sky of Eraklyon and Princess Bloom of Domino. The survivors struggled and those against Baltor's tyranny joined the fight willingly. Under my parents command, a network of bases were set up and my mother developed a plan to bring Baltor down once and for all. The people had their hope again; their faith in my mother had been restored. The future was no longer as bleak as it had once seemed. But this was a short period as the worst blow to the Defiance was yet to be dealt.

Moment three… the death of my mother was like the spark of hope sputtering out for good. The way people describe her last months to me, it was as though my mother had given up hope herself. She became withdrawn and prone to outbursts of anger, took on the most dangerous missions, disappeared for weeks on end, and fought with my father constantly. Then one day she was gone. Weeks went by and my father sent out search teams to find her. It wasn't until a year later that news of her death finally reached us. Several escapees from one of Baltor's torture camps described her execution. Panic and mourning spread through the network and the sense of hopelessness returned. When people asked my father what could be done without my mother, what they ought to do, he simply said, "Nothing. Survive."

Sixteen years later we still survive just beyond Baltor's sight. My father leads what's left of the Defiance himself, though we aren't really defiant in the face of Baltor's tyranny. The broken Sky of Eraklyon is just trying to hold on, to keep everyone safe…to keep me safe. With nothing to challenge Baltor with and no hope to guide us, we're left to fight just so we can live another day. We just do as my father said all those years ago. Nothing. Survive.

With nothing to live for, blame is often cast onto my mother's memory. There aren't many days where I'm not reminded by someone of my mother's failures. I bear the guilt for the lost hope my mother took with her to her grave and I've learned to bear it well enough. But I ask, was all the hope really lost? Is there really nothing we can do? Was Bloom of Domino's Dragon Fire power the only key to defeating Baltor? Or was there something else? Sometimes I can't shake this feeling that my mother left us with something more and that something more has been right in front of us all this time…


	2. Chapter 1 - Instinct

**Chapter One - Instinct**

_Heartbeat. I awoke from sleep when I suddenly heard the familiar sound and I realized my mother had lifted me out of my bed. Her heart pounded hard as she held me to her, cradling me gently in her arms. I groggily curled up closer to her, getting comfortable in the warmth of her embrace. "Mommy?" I murmured, looking up at her in a slight daze. Something wet landed on my cheek and I blinked up into my mother's shining blue eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked, slightly alarmed to find my mother crying._

_My mother just sniffed and smiled, her face brightening some as she did so. Her smile was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen in my short two years of existence. "Nothing baby. I just wanted to hug you, that's all."_

"_Oh…" I yawned and buried my face into her arm. She was so warm and her heartbeat was so soothing that it took only moments for me to begin drifting off. "Okay…"_

"_Baby I love you so much." she nuzzled me and pressed her lips against my forehead. I squirmed the slightest, then gave in to her insistent affections. "I'd do anything to protect you, everything if I was able. You're the greatest thing that I ever accomplished in my life." Her breath tickled my forehead as she began to rock back and forth. "Mommy loves you so, so much…"_

"_Love…too…" I yawned again and tried to fight my drooping eye lids. I barely saw the way my mother's face darkened as the saddest look crossed her face. "Mommy?"_

"_Hush little Edan…" Mommy whispered as she began to carefully lower me back onto my bed, extricating herself from my grip. She drew up the covers and looked down on me, the saddest smile I'd ever encountered on her lips as she said my name one last time. Little did I know it was the last time. My eyes closed and I let out a contented sigh. "My little Edan…"_

* * *

"Edan!" shrieked the most beautiful harpy-like voice in a most unflattering manner.

"Dani!" I shouted as I backed away from the creature that was slowly advancing on me. It snarled viciously and pounced at me, but I quickly rolled beneath it and slashed upward with my sword. The creature landed behind me with a heavy thump and I took off toward the horde of creatures that had cornered my squad members. "Kato!" I shouted as I approached the crowd of fighting teenagers and monstrosities.

A large, half-African American boy turned from a just-defeated monster and saw me running for him. He crouched down and cupped his hands before him, nodding at me. I pushed forward and just as I stepped into his hands, he forced his cupped hands upward, launching me into the air. I flew over the crowd, yelling with my arms flailing until I landed with a hearty yelp on top of the largest of the monstrosities, a great hulking brown creature with fists the size of oil drums and no head. It raised its great fists over its lack of head and I knew I had to move fast. I stabbed my sword into where the creature's head ought to have been and jumped off, my hand clinging to my sword hilt for dear life. Gravity dragged me and the sword down and as I fell the sword sliced down the monster's chest. Landing on solid ground, I scrambled away from the suddenly tipsy creature and shouted, "Timber!" as it fell and exploded into thousands of squirming little bug creatures.

Giant Venus fly traps erupted from the ground then, swallowing the waves of bug creatures. From behind me a gentle voice called out to me in a very uncharacteristic tone. "Timber?! Really?!" I turned and a navy-haired girl dressed in brown leather armor made a face at me, her tanned skin looking relatively pale in the lack of light. She drew her bow and shot an arrow, dispatching a flying raptor -like monster. "You've got to mock me like that?"

"Come on, Chrys!" I smiled at her mischievously. "Get a sense of humor already!" I stabbed into a larger, hissing monster and whirled around to catch the oncoming blow of another taller one. "Hey Calli! At least this batch has a little more variety!" I called out to my next nearest comrade, another girl. "The last batch was all land-confined, remember?"

Calli gracefully flipped back from a flailing monster and glowered toward me, her dark blue eyes matching the dark blue of her long hair and her armor. If her skin hadn't been such a pale white, she could've easily blended in with the dark of the cavern. "Seriously, Domino? Get a grip on reality or so help me…" her threat was cut short when a large fist closed around her body and yanked her up. "Dylan!" she shrieked. Before I could move to help her, a dark blur flashed past me and a boy similar in dress and appearance to Calli sliced off the monster's arm. The girl landed with a thud and the dark boy turned toward me, his dark eyes smoldering.

"Stop distracting my sister!" Dylan snapped and dove once more into the fray.

"Gee, the twins woke up on the wrong side of their matching beds this morning." I sighed and turned only to get blinded by a large outburst of light. "What the…" I cursed.

"Solar storm!" cried out Dani's beautiful voice, this time sounding a lot less shrieky. The brilliant light flowed past me and slammed into a couple of creatures about to get the drop on me. I blinked against the excessive light and tried shielding my eyes. "Edan?" Dani called out again.

"Danica…" I stumbled forward, still quite blinded until a pair of slender hands gripped me by the shoulders and straightened me. I looked up into the gorgeous features of a brown-haired, bright, honey-eyed girl who could've probably been a super-model had the universe not been chewed up and spat out by an apocalypse. "Dani… you beautiful, brilliant light bulb you…"

"Nice attempt at flattery…" Dani said flatly, obviously not amused by my comedy act as she smacked my arm. I yelped, more shocked than hurt. Her honey eyes narrowed, her gaze practically pinning me to where I stood. "The next time you want to drag your team exploring on what's supposed to be a plotted patrol course, let's just tie you up…"

Before she could say another word, a perverted thought occurred to me and I grinned at her. "Oh Dani… if you wanted to try something kinky all you had to do was ask!" I said brightly. Then I cast a glance toward the dark boy, "But I refuse to do anything of the sort with Dylan." She smacked me again, harder. "Ok… ok… Ow…"I relented, dropping my smart ass commentary act. Rubbing my arm, I pulled away from her. I noted Kato and Chrys were finishing off the last couple of monsters and I surveyed the rest of the battlefield for my squad members. "J-Squad, who's still alive?"

"Dani." Dani called next to me, straightening her orange-tinted armor and checking her hair in her mirrored dagger. She flipped her hair with the back of her free hand and narrowed her eyes at me. "Then again we all knew I'd survive."

"Chrys." Chrys called out from some yards away, picking up one of her arrows from the stone floor. She frowned at a broken one and sighed. "You owe me new arrows…"

"Dylan." Dylan answered with a slight growl, hauling his twin sister, Calli, to her feet.

"Calli." Calli dropped her brother's hands and looked her herself over. She grumbled as she wiped at some nasty looking monster guck on her armor. "Stupid…"

"Meira." called out a girl from behind me, cutting off Calli's grumblings.

"Kato." said Kato as he carefully made his way toward me.

"Edan." I said finally counting off on my fingers as each person called out their name. "Excellent. No one's dead… with the exception of the need-sunlight twins." Okay, I lied. I couldn't help myself. Before Dylan or Calli could insult me I turned toward Meira, a pale, lanky, red-headed girl wielding a wicked looking gun. "How many did you count?"

Meira stepped on a scuttling brown bug, crushing it beneath her standard issue combat boots. She looked up at me with intelligent, calculating teal eyes. "I'd say twenty-five to thirty. I'm not sure if any got away. It was a nasty group for sure." She glanced over the battlefield, a mixed look of nervousness and discontent crossing her fair features. " We ought to report it…"

"My math skills aren't as impressive as yours but I believe that's definitely a higher number than last time." I muttered as I stared at the ominous, continuance of the tunnel ahead. "So close to headquarters too. It didn't exactly look like an ambush or a scouting party…" I locked eyes with my second-in command, Kato, hoping he'd have some insight about what we'd just encountered. He just frowned at me and shook his head, for once insightless about what we'd just witnessed. "Right…" I glowered again into the darkness.

"What's your genius plan now, Captain?" Dylan said sarcastically, crossing his pale arms over his dark-armored chest. "You aren't actually thinking about leading us down further, are you? Our asses are already about to get chewed because we veered off course. Again."

I sighed and chewed my lip slightly, my mind weighing the possibilities. My curiosity about what could possibly be at the end of the tunnel would have to wait. "No… Meira's right. We've got to report this." I turned back to look into the imploring and condemning faces of my peers. "As much as it pains me, I say we go back and report this to Commander Riven." I grimaced as I spoke the name, my mind already switching over and thinking about the number of tortures our advisor had planned for me. "I mean, the number of scouting decay monsters wandering in this tunnel has increased since our last visit. Maybe it's nothing or maybe it's something. We'll let the higher ups figure it out."

* * *

"This is the second time now your squad has deviated from high command. You were ordered to patrol the High Roads, Domino! Not to go exploring every dark ominous cave and hole you thought was cool!" Riven paced before my line of squad members, who were all at attention. His boots echoed throughout the large briefing chamber as he stomped. He ran his hand through his spiked magenta hair. "It was a simple mission. Patrol the already patrolled roads. Honestly, was I speaking Russian when I relayed the High Commander's orders?" Riven walked straight up to me and put his face close to mine so I got a good view of the pale white scar running along his cheek bone. His violet eyes flashed with barely contained rage. "What do you have to say for yourself, Domino?"

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I answered. "Was I speaking Portuguese? Did you not hear what I said?" I said, annoyed and slightly repulsed by his sudden proximity to me. But I held my ground and stared Riven straight in the eyes. "We ran into another group of Decay creatures, larger than the group we ran into the first time we broke protocol. I mean, what are they doing there? Could that tunnel be significant to Baltor? Maybe he's trying to find our Headquarters? I thought you said you were going to have that tunnel checked out? Why is it not getting checked out?"

Riven took the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb and walked away from me, grumbling. "I say patrol and you go exploring! We've got bigger problems on the actual war front and we can't spare the resources! The same fucking tunnel…what is your infatuation with it? Like we've got men to spare for a little boy's instincts…"

"I'm not a little boy!" I snapped irritably. "I'm nearly eighteen…"

"Not a boy? You're a rebellious little brat! A man would follow the orders of his superiors!" Riven snapped.

"Superiors who can't take him seriously?" I snapped back.

"Seriously? How can we take the Headquarters' resident prankster seriously?!" Riven roared.

"Riven! That's enough!"

Everyone turned to see a weathered, well-built warrior walk in, a disapproving expression reflecting in his handsome features. He frowned at Riven, his thick eyebrows furrowed. "Has this squad completed their report?"

Riven stood and crossed his arms. Watching his demeanor, I noticed how Dylan and Calli both bore themselves with the same sense of jerkiness. Like father, like children. "Well…"

"We've reported all we encountered and the mission was completed. Albeit a bit late, but thoroughly…" I stated, giving Riven a daring glare. I saw Calli's and Dylan's matching dark stares pinpoint on me then, but I chose to ignore them, refocusing all my attention on the person who interrupted us.

"Good. If they are finished, then they can go." the warrior said simply, his expression relaxing some. We all saluted him and Riven and the lot of us were about to depart when the intruder's warm, brown eyes suddenly landed on me. "But I need to speak with Edan privately."

I stopped in my tracks and caught a couple of smirks and glances from my peers. Dani glanced at me warily, her eyes drifting from me to the intruder and back again. I gave her a 'Don't worry' smile and nodded at her, encouraging her to go. She shrugged and left and suddenly I felt a little bit betrayed. Would it kill her to pretend she cared what happened to me?

"Good luck." Kato murmured as he walked past me. Not exactly the caring I was looking for, but I guess I had to take what I could get.

"Hope Brandon eats you for breakfast…" Dylan muttered as he shoved past me and walked out the door. Definitely not the caring I was looking for. I restrained myself from launching myself at Dylan when a large calloused hand landed on my shoulder. I looked over and found myself face-to-face with Riven again and I nearly yelped.

"Don't think this is over, Domino." Riven muttered. He dropped my arm and slammed the door to the briefing chambers behind him as he exited. The slamming sound eventually settled, leaving me alone with Brandon. It was silent for several moments before Brandon of Eraklyon finally spoke.

"Edan…"

"Here we go…" I sighed and turned to face Brandon, staring into the familiar, handsome expanse of his face. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my cargo pants. "You're going to go on about how I disobeyed orders again and how I put my squad in danger. Then you'll go for the emotional sting about how disappointed you are in me and how I've been behaving toward Riven. Then you'll bring up the spiel about how I've got this duty and image to uphold being the son of the very founders of the Defiance and how not upholding these could shatter what little resistance there is to the universal takeover… blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…" I sighed and wandered over to one of the tables that occupied the room, pulling out a chair and collapsing in it. "What can I honestly say Brandon?"

"Well since you've said everything I'm supposed to say…" Brandon wandered over and took a seat next to me, clasping his hands between his knees. He took a breath then looked at me. "Life's not fair, my peers are total jackasses, my father's an over-protective bastard who rarely sees me and could never understand what I'm going through, the drill sergeants and Commander Riven are always on my case, I never get to take on real missions, I never get to sleep in ever, the food here sucks and Dani keeps shooting my advances down…" Brandon said all this in an exaggerated, whiny tone and I just stared at him. He looked at me, his brown eyes looking at me knowingly. "Did I get it all?"

"Erm… well the Dani part…" Instantly heat began to rise up in my cheeks. It definitely wasn't a situation you wanted to bring up with the girl's father, so I figured I better change course. "Ummm… you forgot how everyone blames me for my mother's decision to take up that suicide mission…" I said.

"Right." Brandon put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Edan, I know what you're going through. A lot of the Company members do. Your father isn't totally oblivious to your problems either. But he does need to prioritize. And he knows you need to pick and fight your own battles. There's only so much he can do." Brandon dropped my shoulder. "So what are you getting on Riven's nerves about now? You didn't ask him for another field trip for fighting drills, did you? Or a possible Nap Time to be added to your kids' training schedules?"

"Actually, I've graduated from those wisecracks, thank-you! It's just…" I licked my lips and looked at Brandon, wondering if I should even tell him. Then I figured if I couldn't trust the man who'd practically raised me, then there was no one in the universe I could talk to. "There's this tunnel we've been exploring the past couple of High Road patrols. There's something… something about it. I don't know what it is. I just know it needs to be found out…" I looked up at Brandon, the father-figure in my life, half expecting him to try easing my mind about the mysterious tunnel. "We stumbled across hordes of Decay enforcer groups both times we explored it. When I reported this to Riven the first time, I don't think he ever did anything about it."

"Probably not. The cliffs and fields surrounding the High Road are riddled with hundreds of tunnels and caves. To pinpoint the one you guys are talking about…" Brandon frowned at me. "Then you've got to consider we don't exactly have a lot for manpower, Edan. Our forces are spread so thin the way things are…"

"Yeah, yeah…" I stood up and crossed my arms, walking away from Brandon. "I get your point."

Brandon just smiled at me. "Well if this tunnel bothers you that much, I'll ask around and see if I can stir up anyone's interest for poking around in their spare time. I'm sure someone around here is bored enough on break they'd go do a little exploring." He nodded at me. "You know your mother had some spot-on instincts. Maybe it runs in the family."

"Maybe." I mumbled. "Bet it didn't do her a whole lot of good either. Thanks anyway, Brandon."

"No problem, kiddo." Brandon stood up and headed for the door. "Oh and Edan?" I looked at him and he gave me a warning glance. "Stop baiting Riven. Seriously. It's bad for your health." With that said Brandon was gone, leaving me to stand alone feeling a lot lighter than I had before.


	3. Chapter 2 - Insubordination

**Chapter Two - Insubordination**

Push up then down. Push up then down. Push up then down.

With each push-up, the lighter feeling Brandon left me with two days ago dissipated. It was replaced with the heavier, harsher comments of Commander Riven, whose revenge scheme for me had only begun.

"No slacking, Domino." Riven snapped as he walked past my row of squad members. "I could give a damn whose kid you are… You may be able to get away with things on your patrols, but in my lessons you will follow my rules, my command." He loomed over me but I kept my eyes focused on the floor between my splayed hands. Push up then down. "What no smart-ass remarks?"

I ignored Riven and attempted to force my mind to wander elsewhere. Next to me I heard Kato grunting with every push-up, Dani was taking in even breaths some feet away, Chrys was muttering something about kicking my ass… I reassigned my focus. I watched my sweat drip down to the floor, felt it slide down my temple, soak my t-shirt… and yet I couldn't help picking up on Riven's hatred for me in that moment. I bit my tongue, holding back one of my famed smart-ass remarks.

Riven finally relented in his hovering. He grunted and stomped over to another squad of kids struggling with their own exercises. After what felt like forever, Meira finally called "Time's up!" and I heard my group members break from the line with groans an gasps. I myself slowly got to my feet, hissing as my cramping muscles tightened and released.

"Is it going to be like this all day?" Chrys cracked her back and hissed in pain. "For crying out loud!"

"If we thought Riven's training sessions were harsh before…" Dani murmured as she wiped the sweat off her brow. She glanced toward Riven, her nervousness apparent by the way she bit her lip, "…obviously we didn't know his true level of harsh."

"Suck it up." Dylan snapped at the girls, startling them from their griping. He didn't look quite as tired as the rest as he made his way through the group. He deliberately shoved past me and headed for the rope climbing set up on the other side of room. "Thank the captain while you're all sucking it up. Intentionally pissing Riven off is his doing…"

I glared at him and turned to the rest of the team to attempt bringing up the group morale, but the grim expressions and looks of resignation I saw caught me off guard. Dani and Chrys eyed me warily, their exhaustion evident. Calli and Meira had their cold gazes locked on me, condemning me. Even Kato was staring at me with disappointment, his chest still heaving slightly from the ten minute push-up punishment we'd completed. Before any of them could mention anything to me, I spun on my heel and followed Dylan, fighting the sudden guilt that had crept up inside me. But the guilt won over and with it came a memory of the first tunnel exploration, in which I had a team willing to follow my orders and trust my intentions…

* * *

_Trees rose up on either side of the muddied road, their gnarled roots bare and clinging to the rocky steepness of the incline. The mountain rose up high to my left, a monumental monstrosity that only reminded me about how insignificant I was in the scheme of things. The skies were a heavy, dark gray; they loomed and threatened overhead like destiny. I shivered as that final thought occurred to me. _

"_Keep moving, Domino. If we're going to make our designated time we need to move!" Dylan called from the rear of the group as we shuffled along the plotted course on the High Road. "If we give any of our higher-ups reason to think twice about our absence Commander Riven will pull out his best punishments just for us!"_

_I grunted in response, slightly irritated by his pushy attitude. I believed we were making great time. Then I thought about Commander Riven and I found motivation to pick up the pace. I obliviously pushed onward , letting my feet take the familiar path of our patrol route. Several yards into this , a sudden feeling overwhelmed me, stopping me in my tracks. It began as a familiar warmth I couldn't quite identify, then escalated into a hot burning that made me grimace. It was like some kind of a calling, compelling me to stray from our designated course. I stared down into the dark woods that cloaked the steep decline of the hills. The feeling wanted me to go down there, but my fear and confusion kept me at a standstill. Seconds after my sudden stop I felt someone run into me and we both fell in a heap of equipment and arms and legs._

"_Edan! Get your skinny butt off me!" Calli yelped as the two of us struggled to our feet. She dusted herself off and narrowed her dark eyes at me. "What the hell is your issue? You want us to be late?"_

"_I…" I glanced down the slope again, reassessing the unexplainable feeling I was having. My mouth struggled to form words, "Well… no…"_

"_Then move!" Calli grumbled as she stomped on ahead of me. The others caught up and stopped their advance; they were all looking at me expectantly. Kato met my eyes and I saw he'd immediately picked up on my trouble. He frowned at me, his concern making its way into his usually calm presence. But before he could say something, Calli's feisty voice cut through the dark. "Well are you coming?" Calli called from several yards ahead._

_My fear and confusion were replaced with curiosity and determination though I had no idea where they'd come from. I took a breath and ordered "J-Squad, fall in!" I half-expected the lot of them to laugh at me and move on. But the group approached me with only a couple of odd looks and grumblings. Even Calli walked up, an irritated expression crossing her pale features. "I saw something…" I lied, inadvertently allowing my uncertainty slip into my tone. "…down the slope here. I think we should check it out."_

"_Are you kidding me?" Dylan stared at me incredulously, a rare deviation from his general demeanor as his known expressions range from broody to angry. "We need to stick to the course! We'll never move onto more promising missions if we start disobeying orders now!"_

"_You sure it wasn't just an animal?" Chrys asked, placing a calming hand on Dylan's shoulder to keep him from ranting. "Or maybe just a shift in the shadows?"_

_I bit my lip and tried to fight off the feeling, but it remained persistent. If anything it intensified as if it was inevitable. "No it wasn't any of those things. I'm not sure what it was. Which is why I want to check it out." I squared my shoulders then and faced my peers, mustering all the leader-like persona I'd inherited from my parents, which couldn't have been a whole lot. "It could be something important. Therefore it's our duty to the Defiance that we check it out. If it's nothing then we'll hightail it back to Headquarters." I stared at each and every single one of them, making sure my stare was unwavering._

"_Well, it wouldn't hurt to check." Kato finally said. "And we are ahead of schedule, despite the goading of certain people." He made a pointed glance toward Dylan and Calli who just crossed their arms and harrumphed. The others in the group were nodding at one another and at me, letting me know that they were willing to look into it. Kato looked at me then, his blue eyes trusting and supportive. "I say lead the way, Captain." _

* * *

"Please tell me that tunnel has some significance, Edan." Dani slammed her food tray on the table and pulled up a chair next to me. Her amber eyes were bright and sharp, pinning me in the seat I sat in. "You know our squad is butt of every joke in the headquarters? Our insubordination is suddenly legendary! Once your dad finds out we're so grounded! They're probably going to hand off our measly patrols to one of the other squads! We'll be left with nothing! Nothing but armory inventory! Or latrine clean-up! Or lunch serving…" she frowned at her tray, "…and I'm not in the mood to find out what exactly goes into… this…"

"Forget it, Dani." Chrys had her booted feet propped up on the table and was balancing on the hind legs of her chair; her eyes were turned up as if she was observing the ceiling of the commissary. "Already tried interrogating. Edan just clams up…"

"Seriously, Edan?" Dani stared at me. I looked down at my own tray and focused hard on the overcooked vegetables like they were the most interesting of things. "Your squad deserves answers. We're following you because we trust you. I mean, we're risking our lives to sate your curiosity about that tunnel and you can't even tell us what basis there is for your interest?"

"Power's getting to his head, I tell you." Calli took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as though she were savoring it. Her voice was heavy with the I-told-you-so tone. "Should've voted Dylan in as squad leader."

"Like I'd want a Commander Riven running our squad…" Chrys slammed the front legs of her chair down and glowered at Calli. "At least Edan is remotely personable. Your brother is just as bad as your father. Moody, stubborn, and likes to hear himself shout. I'd rather join the J-5 squad than follow Dylan's command."

Calli snapped to her feet, the legs of her chair scraping noisily across the stone floor. She slapped her hands on the table and stared down Chrys. "So go join the J-5 squad, _Chrysanthemum_! My brother would lead the J squad far better than Edan. He's got all the highest scores in the combat, weaponry, and stealth competitions and actually has respect for his elders!" she pointedly turned her glare on me. "Edan's got high-ranking parents, a terrible sense of humor and an attitude when it comes down to it. I'll stand by my brother's commands any day over _Edan's. _Wanna insult my brother again, _flower fairy_?"

"_Please." _Chrys rolled her eyes. "He might have respect for his elders, but what about his respect for his peers? Besides, there's only so much respect we can give a crab like Commander Riven."

"What did you say?" Calli balled her fists. "Alright, you and me, _Chrysanthemum_…"

Before Chrys could drop her feet from their perch on the table, Kato interjected, "Okay, time to change the subject…" Both girls turned their gazes toward him, looking disgruntled but staying silent. "Enough is enough! Standing around and stirring up trouble about past situations will do no good for any of us." He set down his fork and crossed his arms, eyeing the group of people at the table, daring them to challenge his word. "How about we just drop the tunnel issue…"

"No." Meira stated calmly from her quiet end of the lunch table. The entire focus of the table turned on her then. She stirred her food about her plate, then looked up at me. "We need to address this rather noisy elephant in the room. Edan's calls have been messing with our group dynamic for a little over a month now. We're three times more quarrelsome and our bickering is beginning to escalate to fist fights." If it was at all possible, her gaze got even more cold and calculating as she stared at me, as if I were some factor that wouldn't sit right in her equation. "Edan needs to talk…"

"Meira's right…" Calli dropped her fists. "We need to get all of this straightened out. Enough of this insanity…" she turned back to me, her lips forming a grim line. "You've got until tomorrow to give us answers or we're calling for a vote on a new team captain, Edan. We need someone who isn't going to play games, someone who isn't wasting his authority, at least what little he has." With that said she grabbed her tray and stormed off.

I frowned after her then glanced at Kato, who was looking at me with a look of sympathy. I sighed, then pointed toward his tray with my fork. "You going to eat that?"

* * *

After dinner I went alone to the room I shared with the guys of my squad. I eased onto my bed and lay back, my eyes wandering over the rough cracks and crevices of the cave-like ceiling. In the distance beyond the entrance to the room I could hear typical cavern noises, like water dripping, shifts in air, stuff like that. From time-to-time voices and footsteps would resound and I'd mentally note who was on rounds or who was heading to sleep. Eventually I got bored of the mental note game and found myself pondering my current predicament.

Oddly enough it wasn't the first time my rank in the group was being questioned. Calli and Dylan like to shake things up every once in a while to get their dose of drama, as if they didn't get enough with their crab of a dad. But this particular situation was different from any other I'd had before, all because the agreement was unanimous for the group: I was a bad leader.

To be honest I couldn't blame them for what they thought. I was unpredictable, prone to mischief, and stubborn as hell when it came to following others' orders. And I ought to explain myself to them, considering they've gotten in trouble because of me twice now. But let's be honest here. What was I supposed to tell my squad? That I kept checking out the tunnel because a bout of indigestion told me so? I could already see Calli and Dylan laughing at me, telling me to go get an antacid potion from the apothecary storage.

Only Brandon knew I was getting these gut feelings. And he seemed understanding about it. But he didn't understand. He didn't feel them. They were more than gut feelings. They weren't just instincts. It was more like guidance, like someone was trying to coax me to follow a certain path by playing on my emotions, making something familiar pique my curiosity. It didn't help I had no idea why the feeling was familiar either.

I focused hard on the memory of the feeling then. My mind turned over the familiarity of it and my conscience struggled to make the connection I wanted. I closed my eyes tight and concentrated harder, and suddenly it seemed like I was getting closer to the truth. The familiar warmth rose up in me and I held the sides of my head, as though that physical action would help me stay focused. And just went I thought I was about to make a breakthrough, a voice cut into my thoughts. The warm feeling snapped from me and my eyes shot open. Kato was leaning over me, his blue eyes full of worry as he grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Edan?"

"What do you want…" I slowly sat up and noticed Dylan standing at the end of my bed, his dark eyes wide. "What…what are you two…"

"You were thrashing in your sleep." Kato said calmly. He sat on my bed and looked at me, her eyes searching for some sort of answer. "Did you have a bad nightmare?"

"I-I was asleep?!" I yelped. I couldn't stop the red from rising in my cheeks and I buried my face in my hands. "Sleeping… just when I thought… damnit… did you have to wake me?"

"Did you have to wake us?" Dylan snapped, back to his normal self. "Jeeze you're as childish and dense as ever."

"Shut up Dylan." I sighed and finally looked up. I must've looked like hell because both of them flinched at the sight of me. Then I noticed a slightly singed scent in the air and I frowned. "What the hell is burning?"

Dylan stared at me then, as if I was crazy and oblivious to all that went on around me. Then he shook his head and stated, "Probably something in the kitchen." Dylan waved me off and wandered back to his corner of the room. "Now stop the noise. I need to sleep." He climbed into his bed and turned his back to us. Within minutes, Kato and I could hear his soft snores.

"He sure does fall asleep fast." I murmured. Then I looked at Kato. "Okay, tell me. Did he light my hair on fire?" He just frowned at me then rose to go to his own bed. "Kato wait…" I watched as he stopped in his tracks, his broad shoulders tight as if he knew what I were about to say. " You're my best friend. I value your opinion above anyone else's because you're honest and insightful. So tell me, do you think…do you think I'm a terrible leader?"

Kato turned and eyed me then, a somber expression taking over his handsome features. "I used to think you had what it took. You always were the ring leader when we were kids. But now…" Kato shook his head and my heart fell. "…now you're distracted. When you're distracted you're especially childish… practically naïve. You've got some burden that you think you've got to bear alone. And that's got you stuck in this self-absorbed thought process where there's only what you want. At this point, I wouldn't disagree that Dylan's the better candidate for team captain right now." Kato turned from me then and I turned from him, feeling the heavy weight of betrayal in my chest as I tried to go back to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Truth

Chapter 3 - The Truth

Morning came. My mind was clouded with so many feelings that I was surprised I hadn't thrown up in response. Guilt, anger, resentment, fear, hopelessness, sadness… all these bad emotions stewed and I contended with them as I tried to keep up my typically upbeat self and work up the courage to tell my friends the truth about the tunnel. I would have succeeded in all of it too, had it not been for Dylan's insistence on proving he was better than me.

"Dylan's demanded a one-on-one with Edan!" Riven called out to the squads that next morning, introducing yet another emotion to my mental mosaic: shock. He glanced between the two of us and smirked before shaking his head and muttering "Deja vu." He glowered at the rest of the kids and shouted, "You know the drill! Up against the walls. Clear the floor for the face-off!"

My jaw dropped and I looked at Dylan, who was standing emotionless on the other side of the room. The situation finally registered with me and I found words, "Seriously, Dylan?"

Dylan dropped into a ready stance, his dark eyes locked on me. "It's a serious matter, Domino…"

I threw a glance toward my other squad members. Dani, Chrys, and Kato all looked shocked as they stared at Dylan. Kato snapped out of the shock and caught my eye, giving me an apologetic look. Dani bit her lip and just barely managed to grab onto Chrys, who looked ready to go pulverize Dylan herself. Meira and Calli on the other hand stood with their arms crossed, as if this situation had been inevitable.

"You all know the rules. Anything goes short of maiming and killing. The fight begins and ends here… none of it leaves the training area. Am I clear?" Riven eyed us both. Dylan nodded and I opened my mouth to protest, but Riven cut me off, "Good. Let the face-off begin…"

"Are you kidding me? Dylan! You're letting this 'being the best' thing eat you alive! There's no need to prove any point!" I grimaced and returned my gaze to where Dylan had stood, but he was no longer standing there. Then the sharp whistle of a fist rushing past my ear made me curse. I launched myself away from the attempted blow and dropped down low to kick my leg out. My foot connected with my opponent's shin and I reveled in the sound of his yelp as he was knocked off his feet. I instinctively sprung back up on the balls of my feet, going straight into a ready position. Dad's voice rang out clear in my mind, _'Don't hesitate for a second. Always be ready and anticipating before they've even had a chance to think of their next move.'_ Why his advice was in my mind at all was beyond me.

Cheers and jeers rang out from our peers who watched the fight with keen interest. They all knew about the one-sided rivalry between me and Dylan, so they of course saw this as a good show. "Pick yourself up, Dylan!" barked Riven from the sidelines, his voice ringing out clear over the noise the crowd of teenagers was making, "You'd be dead out in the ranks with this sloppy footwork!" He sighed and took the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, obviously not happy with the tide the fight was taking. "Domino's got the advantage now! Get up damn it!'

Dylan just grunted and rose to his feet, his dark blue eyes locked on me like a bird of prey looking at an enemy bird in its territory. He took up stance and the two of us slowly circled one another, watching for a moment of weakness, a moment of opportunity. I made a feint toward his right, hoping he'd fall for it and I'd catch him by surprise with a well-aimed blow on the left. Of course he foresaw this and managed to deflect my blow easily enough. He threw a punch straight for my face and I managed to catch his fist and twist his arm, forcing him to turn from me. I put my foot against his back and kicked as I released my hold. He stumbled away from me and I took up my own readied stance.

"Honestly, Dylan. This is just desperation. You think that picking a fight with me will impress our squad members enough to have them just pick you for captain?" He swung at me again and I smoothly avoided it, putting space between the two of us once me. "They know you're capable. That didn't sway their opinion the first time they chose me for captain. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Shut-up, Domino." Dylan snarled as he threw a blow that managed to clip my shoulder before I could dodge it. I winced in pain. That was definitely gonna bruise. "Our squad members aren't happy with how you're handling things. You've jeopardized your chances you idiot! I'm not proving anything to any of them…"

"Well I doubt you need to prove anything to yourself… then again you always did have self-esteem issues…" I quipped. He growled at me and lunged for me, and I just barely managed to avoid the full-body tackle. "…to top off your anger management issues…"

At that moment, Riven cursed at us again and I saw Dylan flinch the slightest, his dark eyes reflecting his chagrin of the verbal abuse. Taking that opportunity would've easily won me the fight and earned me the title of top dog among my peers. Watching my rival wallow in his loss would've made the victory that much more enjoyable as well.

Instead my damned empathy kicked in at that moment. Dylan wasn't trying to impress any of our peers. He was trying to impress his hard-ass father. I bit my lip in an attempt to focus myself on the fight. But my mind wandered to the fact that Dylan's father was a hard bastard bent on making us fighters colder and more merciless than even Baltor's demon enforcers. It was understandable considering the state of the universe, but it made the prospect of surviving in the ranks of the Defiance that much grimmer. Riven was especially hard on his own two children, rarely offering them any praise or affection. I'd watched Dylan get run down by his father so many times that I'd come to appreciate my own absent father more than I meant to. Seeing him take on another bout of non-encouraging criticism from Riven made me sympathize with him.

My mistake. Before I knew it, Dylan had me flat on my face, his booted foot weighing heavily on my spine. I struggled to turn over and try even out the playing field once more, but Dylan just dug his foot into my back and pushed harder. "Down again, Domino…" he leaned over and muttered into my ear, "You know Brandon got called away on business before he could even handle your little tunnel situation? Guess your demotion will have been for nothing…"

That comment snapped me out of my empathic sense. My anger took over all the other emotions I'd been dealing with and I let it. Dylan's riling had finally gotten to me. "Get off me!" I growled angrily, placing both my palms flat against the rough stone floor. "Get the hell off, Dylan!"

"Call it." Dylan called out to his father. "Call the fight. I won."

I closed my eyes and reached back with my right arm, my hand clamping on Dylan's ankle. Before Riven could call the fight, I yanked as hard as I could, catching Dylan by surprise. Dylan tumbled on top of me and I rolled over on top of him, slamming him hard on the stone floor. "The hell you did…" I muttered as I grabbed the front of his shirt and took aim to punch the little jerk hard.

"Domino's got it again." Riven said with an exasperated sigh as he ran a hand through his spiked hair. He stepped forward and yanked me off his son by the back of my t-shirt. "Get off him, Domino. He's got armory inventory to do. As for you…" Riven frowned at me and shook his head. "You let yourself go again and that's going to be your failure in a fight to the death. Stop letting your emotions about the situation get to you, unless you want your father to be haunted by the deaths of two people he loved…" With a grunt, Riven turned and walked out of the training area.

As I got off of Dylan, the rest of our merry little group ran up. Dani grabbed my arm and looked me up and down before throwing a venomous stare toward Dylan, who was being helped up by Calli. Chrys and Meira quietly appraised the both of us, probably expecting the fight to continue where it'd been cut off. Kato stared after Riven, his look of shock apparently permanent. "Did he just…"

"Who cares…" I grumbled. I pulled my arm out of Dani's grip and turned from the group, making my way toward the entrance of the cavern. Dani and Kato both called after me, but I ignored them as I pushed past the groups of kids who were chattering excitedly and pointing at me. Before I exited the room, I paused and turned back to face them, taking care not to catch any of their gazes. "I should've handled the problem myself to begin with."

* * *

"Edan! Edan, stop!" Dani tried to grab my arm as I was shoving supplies into a beaten up backpack, but I wrested away from her and continued. "Edan, my father got called away for an emergency! He was going to deal with that tunnel once he got back." She grabbed the backpack just as I'd zipped it shut and held it away from me. "Listen to me, Edan…"

"No, you listen! I'm tired of doing the listening! For the past ten years I've been following crappy orders and commands from my father and Commander Riven. Sure I don't follow them to a tee, but I sure as hell get the job done! The one time I think something's up, everybody writes me off as a typical prankster and ignores what could be a serious issue! I'm fed up with pleading to higher powers. Time to take a lesson from my mother and try taking matters into my own hands!" I glared at her and then at Kato, who'd been leaning up against the wall, silently watching me pack.

"You mean the mother who's dead and gone? The mother who abandoned the universe to make her own prideful attempt to stop Baltor?" Calli scoffed at me, her arms crossed. "Not exactly a role model you should be looking up to."

"Shove it, Calli…" I lunged for the bag in Dani's hands, but she took a step back. "Why should I bother looking up to a bunch of higher ranking officials who won't give me the light of day when the headquarters could be at stake? Answer me that!"

Meira was standing in the doorway, her cold gaze locked on me. "You aren't exactly reputable enough that the higher ranking officers would trust you. I mean, who'd take the word of the guy who broke into the armory, swiped some smoke bombs, and set them off in Commander Riven's quarters? And what about the time you loosened one of the pipes connected to the water main to flood the women's quarters? Or the time you pick pocketed the cook's keys and stole a month's worth in dessert rations? Edan! You're a menace!"

I took a breath and snatched the bag from Dani. "This time I'm serious. You saw the decay minions. You fought the decay minions. Twice! Is it going to take a third encounter with a scouting party to get my message across? Or will it take Baltor knocking on the headquarters' front door for you guys to finally believe me?" I made my way to the door when a hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned and faced Dani.

"Look, I want to believe you. But your leadership skills have left something to be desired lately and I've gotten tired of waiting for you to shape up. Then suddenly you're all fixated on this tunnel and it's eating at you. Edan, you owe your squad an explanation. Give us a reason to follow you. Tell me why this tunnel is so important. You keep saying scouting parties, but I don't think that's all." Dani's amber eyes glittered as she stared at me, imploring me for an answer.

"Forget it, Dani." Calli waved her hand as she pushed past Meira and left the room. "I've personally had enough of this nonsense."

Dani hadn't even wavered. I bit my lip and bowed my head. This was the moment I'd been dreading. The moment where I reveal my thoughts, explain my actions, share the feeling… I could've just lied or walked away. But I was done hiding things. "I don't know what to tell you Dani. I don't know if I can tell any of you…" I looked up and stared at each and every one of my peers, taking in each of their faces, measuring all of their levels of sincerity. "I don't even know what to call it. A feeling? A knowing? Instinct?" As I tried to name it I noticed Meira suddenly look exasperated. "I know it isn't hard evidence or fact! I know you all want a real answer. But this feeling to me is very much real! And I can't rest knowing I had this feeling and I did absolutely nothing about it."

"So you're basing all your reasoning on this one feeling." Chrys said slowly, finally speaking up from her perch on my bed. "All this trouble you've been stirring up at headquarters about that tunnel is because of this gut feeling, this sixth sense you've suddenly picked up?" She frowned at me, as if she were trying to decide how sane I was.

"I've gotten the feeling twice now. Twice. At that same tunnel. On that same route. It can't be a coincidence." I argued, feeling very embarrassed now that I'd revealed my reason. It seemed quite miniscule now that it was out among a number of people. "Look, you guys don't have to worry about this. Tell Dylan he can take the captain's position. I really don't care. I just need to sate this insane curiosity that's been bothering me. Once I get back I'll take my punishment from Commander Riven and that'll be the end of all this. We can go on with our struggle of an existence." I shouldered my pack and pushed past Meira. "I'm going to explore that tunnel."

"Well you're sure as hell not going out to explore that tunnel by yourself." Kato called from behind me. I turned and saw him shouldering his own pack as he followed me out of the room. "Could be dangerous leaving a prankster to deal with what could be a very serious situation. So I'm going with you, Captain, and there's nothing you can say to change my mind."

"Kato…" I stared at him. He just grunted and nodded at me. "But…"

Dani cut me off, "Go on. Go figure out what that damned tunnel is about." She gave me a wry smile. "We'll stay back here and hold down the headquarters until you get back. Someone's gotta distract Commander Riven."

"Hell no…" Chrys stepped out of the room and went racing down the hall. " Dani and Meira can hang back with Commander Riven and his jerk kids. I'm going with you guys. Can't let you two have all the fun!"

"Keep him safe, Kato." Dani said. "Stars knows that he'd have gotten himself killed had we let him go off by himself. You're guys' chance at surviving just went up significantly now that Chrys is tagging along."

"Hilarious…" I muttered. But I gave her the slightest smile. "Thanks for believing in me." I said as Chrys bounded up, her pack and bow slung over her shoulder.

Before Dani could speak, Meira cut in, "Nobody said anything about believing you, Captain. The deal was you tell us what's the issue and we won't call a vote. You've fulfilled your part of the deal. So for the time being we'll continue to follow you. Let's just hope you're wrong about this tunnel, Edan." She said solemnly as the three of us all turned and made our way down the hall. "I don't think headquarters could survive a direct attack from Baltor or anything else of such malevolence for that matter."


End file.
